Past Lives: The Bronze Age Continued
by Jet556
Summary: On the south coast of the Black Sea lies the land of the Amazons. This land is where no men are welcome and thus the Amazons keep their husbands in the neighbouring country. When many Achaeans wash up on the shore what will the reaction be of those warrior women?
1. ACT I

**Welcome everyone. I realize that this is not the sort of Past Lives story I usually do but it is a sequel to my first one although the title should make that obvious. This takes place thirty-one years after the previous Bronze Age story.**

 **Dramatis Personae**

The Invulnerable Hades, Usurper King of half of Achaea (McFist's past life)

The Wily Cadmus, Hippcoon's advisor (Viceroy's past life)

The "Treacherous" Rhadamanthys, a young Achaean (Randy's past life)

The Jealous Haemon, a young Achaean (Howard's past life)

The Great Baucis, a young Achaean (Bucky's past life)

The Noble Salmoneus, a young Achaean (Stevens' past life)

The Arrogant Balius, son of Hippocoon's queen (Bash's past life)

The Beautiful Terpsichore, a young Amazon (Theresa's past life)

The First Danae, a young Amazon (Debbie's past life)

Harmonia, a young Amazon (Heidi's past life)

Medea, a young Amazon (Morgan's past life)

Maia, Queen of the Amazons (Mrs. Driscoll's past life)

The Traitorous Agamemnon, Posthumous son of Akagamunas and rightful heir to the throne of Achaea (Ken's past life)

The Royal Narcissus, An Achaean Prince (Niall's past life)

 **ACT I**

 **SCENE I**

 _Sparta, the palace of Hades._

In his palace in Sparta Hades, the son of king who was never expected so succeed, sat on his throne. He has usurped the throne from Akagamunas but had let the empire Akagamunas had formed fall to pieces. Many of the Achaean kingdoms that Akagamunas' father had conquered had slipped through Hades' fingers and Akagamunas' conquered nations of Egypt and Hatti had returned to the Egyptians and the Hittites. Akagamunas was dead, killed by Hades own hand but before dying Akagamunas had permanently crippled Hades' right arm. It had been sixteen years since that day. Klytemnestra, Akagamunas' queen had vanished so if she still lived was a mystery. She had been with child or so he had heard. If she had given birth then there was possibly a son seeking to reclaim his throne, the throne that Hades had taken by force.

As his advisor Hippocoon entered the throne room, Hades lifted his head up. Previously he had been staring at his crippled arm, now there was someone here to talk to.

"What is it, Hippocoon?" asked Hades.

"We are all ready for the hunting trip." Stated Hippocoon. "Balius and the rest are all there and waiting at the harbor."

 **SCENE II**

 _Sparta, the harbor._

Persuaded by his queen to take his stepson Balius hunting with him, Hades found himself in this situation. He did not like Balius nor did Balius like him but still accidents did happen.

Aside from Balius, a few other Achaean youths were accompanying him. There was Rhadamanthys, Haemon, Baucis and Salmoneus.

"Are we all here?" asked Hades. "Please tell we aren't all here! I'd rather forget Balius!"

"I'm here, Hades!" exclaimed Balius, knocking over the four other youths as he ran over to Hades. "Don't think you're leaving without me!"

Hades could only roll his eyes. If only he could leave with Balius. Still accidents did happen and unfortunately Balius was thinking the same thing. Balius may have been an arrogant idiot but he did have some intelligence.

 **SCENE III**

 _A ship upon the sea._

Agamemnon, son of Akagamunas and Klytemnestra, lay upon the deck of the ship that sailed across the blue sea. Although deformed he was not an evil person for ones appearance does not dictate how one lives their life. At the front of the ship his friend Narcissus, Prince of Athens and Agamemnon's junior by two years, stared deep into the sea.

"Where in the sea do you suppose Poseidon calls home?" asked Narcissus. "Could we be above him even now?"

"What if he is visiting Zeus on Mount Olympus?" asked Agamemnon. "He may not even be beneath us." Agamemnon laughed. "Those brothers! Hades was firstborn and Zeus the youngest and some twist of fate from casting lots resulted in Zeus becoming King of the Gods and Hades being the ruler of the Underworld, the great judge who decides whether you go to Elysium or to Tartarus! So we have one who is petty and cruel ruling all of us while the kindest of the gods decides where we go when we die. Isn't it wonderful?"

The sound of thunder caused Narcissus to cringe in fear. "You should not have said that, Agamemnon! You have made Zeus angry."

And thus did the storm come. A storm that would bring two ships to the land of the Amazons, located on the south coast of the Black Sea! No men were allowed in that wild land and the Amazons husbands in the next country only for one month in every year.

 **SCENE IV**

 _The palace of Maia, Queen of the Amazons._

Maia, widowed Amazon queen, held her spear. Watching her the younger Amazons Terpsichore, Danae, Harmonia and Medea waited for when she would cast the spear at the target.

Alas, she did not. Ever since the death of her husband some time ago, her love of battle had gone.

"Be gone, girls!" commanded Maia. "Let me be alone!"

"Is something the matter, my queen?" asked Terpsichore.

"I wish to be alone! Now leave!" commanded Maia once more and so the four girls left. A storm could be heard nearby and so Maia could only wonder what it would bring. Who would be washed upon their shores just as Harmonia had been long ago?

Harmonia was no true Amazon. She did not belong here but yet Maia let her stay in the land of the Amazons until one of her kin came to claim her.

Kin. What kin did Maia have? None and her husband had been the last of his family. She was truly alone.

 **Notes**

You can laugh at the name Narcissus but do you know who else was named Narcissus? The wrestling partner of the Roman Emperor Commodus, the villain of "Gladiator." What did he do besides wrestle with Commodus? He strangled the tyrant in his bath.

The information I have given about the land of the Amazons comes from Greek mythology itself. Unlike some others, I have done my research.


	2. ACT II

**ACT II**

 _Scene I, the south coast of the Black Sea._

The ship that Agamemnon and Narcissus had been on was not the only one to be caught in the storm. The ship that Hades and the rest were on had been caught in it too and thus all of them came together.

To say Agamemnon knew who Hades was would be untrue. He had absolutely no idea what Hades looked like. He knew what the god looked like but he did not know what the man looked like.

Hades however knew who Agamemnon was. He saw the very image of the man he had slain sixteen years ago in the boy before him.

"You're name, boy?" asked Hades.

"Agamemnon. Yours?"

"Orcus." Replied Hades.

Hippocoon only stared at Hades. He then looked at Agamemnon and saw the reason for why Hades was using an alias.

To Rhadamanthys, Haemon, Baucis, Salmoneus and Balius on the other hand they did not know who Agamemnon was. They merely saw a new companion along with Narcissus.

 _Scene II, further in to the land of the Amazons._

The youths had decided to continue in on their hunt. They had come to go hunting across the sea so they would go hunting. Agamemnon and Narcissus had come along and very soon found a boar running across the plains.

"Come on!" cried Rhadamanthys. "Lets go!" With spear in hand he chased after the boar. Haemon followed him as did Baucis and Salmoneus, Narcissus too.

Balius and Agamemnon however stayed where they were. A boar? A boar was a child's quarry! A stag was a quarry for a man!

"To the antlers go whoever kills it?" asked Agamemnon.

"I would not have it any other way." Replied Balius.

Thus did they walk away in search of a stag! With their eyes searching the landscape, different things went through their mind. For Agamemnon it was how such a land could be devoid of people. For Balius it was to put a spear into Agamemnon's back, accidents did happen when hunting after all.

If Balius had known who Agamemnon was, it would not have made a difference. He still would have tried to kill him but the motive would have been different. Agamemnon was a rival for the throne of Achaea, which Hades had taken and lost most of. Once Hades was dead, Balius would have to kill Agamemnon. They would both be dead soon.

 _Scene III, a lake in a forest._

Eventually Balius and Agamemnon did see a stag and so they pursued it. The faster Agamemnon quickly ended up far from the slower Balius, thus did the stag find a more worthy opponent in Agamemnon than he would have in Balius. However, upon casting his spear Agamemnon tripped over a log causing him to lose the stag but he did wound it. The spear he had cast had gone into the stag's right hind leg. Agamemnon would get it eventually.

And then Eros intervened.

When Agamemnon stood up, he saw a beautiful girl before him. Who was this? A goddess? A nymph? Or was this beautiful Helen reborn?

"Who are you?" asked the girl.

"Agamemnon, son of Akagamunas, rightful ruler of all Achaea." Replied Agamemnon.

"You are a man." Said the girl. "You are not welcome here. Do you come from the neighboring country where we keep our husbands and only visit them one month of ever year?"

"You are married then?" asked Agamemnon, his heart sinking as he asked that.

"I am not!"

"Engaged?"

"Certainly not!"

"Involved with someone?"

"No!"

"Then why did you say 'our?'"

"Because that is how things is with us." Replied the girl.

"Who are you?" asked Agamemnon.

"I am an Amazon."

"I've guessed that but what I would like to know is your name."

"My name is Harmonia." Replied the girl. "How did you come to be here?" Agamemnon told the tale of how he came to be in the land of the Amazons. "Then there are other men here? There must not be, our queen Maia is not as friendly as Hippolyta was. She will surely kill you all, we will kill you!"

"You say that but I doubt it!" Commented Agamemnon. "You had plenty of time to kill me already and yet you have not. Why is that?"

"It is said I am cowardly." Stated Harmonia. "I am not as interested in being aggressive as the other Amazons, I do not want to join in any action, I not wish to brawl with anyone. To clash in a war, such a thought fills me with sorrow even if it is conducted for a noble cause. I always leave when there is an altercation or a bout going on. The action against others simply holds no interest for me."

"Then perhaps you are not truly an Amazon." Suggested Agamemnon.

"I have wondered about that. I asked about my mother but never has she ever been spoken of."

"And your father?"

"All they say is that he died in our land and was buried in an unmarked grave." Replied Harmonia. "No one even knows his name. No one in this country or in that where our men reside know it. Did you know your father?"

"I was born sometime after my father's murder by the usurper Hades." Stated Agamemnon. "My mother died giving birth to me in Athens."

"Then neither of us knew our parents..." Observed Harmonia.

"It appears so." Agreed Agamemnon.

It was at this moment that Balius appeared, having finally caught up. Exhausted, he stared at Agamemnon and then looked at Harmonia.

"Found something better that a stag, have you?" asked Balius.

"The stag got away but I wounded it. She was standing before me when the stag got away." Replied Agamemnon. "Go after the stag if you wish, Balius. I will talk with Harmonia here."

"I will not. I'm tired, I'm bored and here is someone to defile!" Balius started to step forward.

"Take another step, Balius, and we fight and I will kill you." Warned Agamemnon.

"So be it then." Laughed Balius. "Look your last upon the sun!"

Thus was battle joined! Thus did someone die!

 _Scene IV, upon a plain._

The other youths had pursued the boar until it turned on them. Rhadamanthys was ruined, the boar digging its tusks into his right leg. Haemon then wounded the boar, followed by Salmoneus killing the boar. Enraged by being robbed of killing the boar, Haemon fought with Salmoneus. It did not take long but it was not a short fight either. It ultimately ended with Salmoneus on the ground and Haemon driving his spear into Salmoneus' stomach.

"Well, at least there will be one less person coming home now." Said Haemon, smiling.

"You are as barbaric as a Persian!" exclaimed Rhadamanthys.

"Don't think that just because we are friends I won't hesitate to put you out of your misery." Warned Haemon. "But because I love you I will do no such thing!" He then turned to the boar. "The pelt is mine, unless Baucis would like to fight me for it."

Shaking, Baucis backed away. He had no interest in fighting Haemon. It would be suicide for him to do so!

"Where have Balius and Agamemnon gotten to?" asked Rhadamanthys. "Did they see something else?"

"They must have." Replied Baucis.

"What could possibly be better than a boar?" asked Haemon. "There is no such thing! Nothing is better than a boar!" But there was. There were stags, there were griffins, there was many a thing better than a boar.

The sound of footsteps soon finished this conversation. The boys turned and saw armed girls before them. So, they were in the land of the Amazons.

 _Scene V, the south coast of the Black Sea._

Twirling his mustache, Hades smiled. Agamemnon's presence would mean a new way to get rid of Balius. Why kill Balius himself when he could have someone else do it? Little did he know that was exactly what had happened but for quite a different reason.

Balius was dead. Drowned by Agamemnon in a lake. The only person who would mourn him would be his mother but Hades would have to feign sadness over his stepson's death.

"Can you think of a good way to kill Agamemnon, Hippocoon?" asked Hades.

"Drive a spear into his back." Replied Hippocoon. "The father could not survive a blade entering his chest, I doubt the son could survive a spear entering his back."

Hades laughed. Yes, that was exactly what he would do. With Agamemnon and Balius both dead he could return home and ensure his own line would continue on.

 **Notes**

A bit late on this but the purpose of Akagamunas and his son Agamemnon both being Ken's past lives are references to the grand theatre tradition of having the father and the son played by the same actor in plays that are part of a cycle. For instance, it is not uncommon to have Siegmund and his son Siegfried played by the same actor in "The Ring of the Nibelung."

Orcus is actually one of Hades' Roman counterparts. I went with that name because an Achaean and a Roman could look similar but I'm not sure about an Achaean and an Egyptian thus I did not have the alias by Osiris.

"But because I love you" come from William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and it does not have a romantic meaning. It is more of a friendly meaning.


	3. ACT III

**ACT III**

 _Scene I, a lake in the forest._

On the bank of the lake lay the body of Hades' stepson. Not far away, Agamemnon sat with Harmonia by his side. The former was feeling some form of grief.

"I did not mean to kill him." Said Agamemnon. "I merely meant to render him unconscious."

"But yet you defended me from a villain such as he." Commented Harmonia. "Why? We have only just met?"

"I-I could not stand aside and let him defile one so beautiful. I know that I am ugly and when I see you now I wish I were blind because I am not worthy of the honor of looking upon you. I am more deformed than Hephaestus himself!"

Harmonia placed a kiss upon Agamemnon's cheek. She did not care how he looked. All she knew was that this was a noble soul.

 _Scene II, the Palace of Maia._

With the boys having been brought to Maia, the Amazon queen could only stare at them. None of them looked like they could have shared kinship with her late husband.

"What brings you here?" asked Maia. "Are you from the country of our husbands?"

"No, we washed upon the coast of this country after a storm." Replied Rhadamanthys. "Rhadamanthys is my name and that is Haemon and Baucis. Our other companion Salmoneus is dead, killed by brutish Haemon and our king Hades, his advisor Hippocoon, Hades' stepson Balius and the strangers Agamemnon and Narcissus are all elsewhere. Narcissus had been with us but we do not know where he has gotten to."

"There is more of you?" asked Maia. "Then the rest of you must be captured! I will not have you all roaming my country unattended, getting yourself lost or doing whatever you wish!"

"We mean no harm!" replied Rhadamanthys. "We only meant to do some hunting since that was originally what we meant to do before being washed up on your coast."

"Do not try and reason with them, Rhadamanthys." Said Haemon. "They are women. Women cannot be reasoned with. You are better off reasoning with a raging beast that with a woman!"

"You insolent pig!" spat Danae. "I'll have your tongue for that!"

"I'd like to see you try, woman!" countered Haemon.

"Is that a challenge?"

"It most certainly is!"

So it was that a fight broke out between the two. It went on for quite a long time. It was not that they were both equally strong in fact it was the opposite. The only reason Haemon had killed Salmoneus was because Salmoneus was even weaker than Haemon!

Rhadamanthys and Terpsichore could only roll their eyes at this sight. Maia could only bring the palm of her right hand to her face. This was embarrassing for the Amazons.

"You wouldn't happen to be from Sparta would you?" asked Maia.

"Unfortunately." Replied Baucis.

This was embarrassing for both the Amazons and the Spartans.

 _Scene III, the coast of the Black Sea._

To Orcus and Hippocoon Narcissus had run! He had to inform them of his friends capture by the Amazons! When he arrived, they seemed to be talking about Agamemnon. It was not until he actually heard what Orcus had said that Narcissus froze.

They were speaking of murder! They were intending to kill Agamemnon! But why? What possible reason could Orcus have to kill Agamemnon whom he only just met?

"Hades, this plan is a certain success." Said Hippocoon without a hint of sarcasm.

What had Hippocoon just called Orcus? Hades? No, that wasn't possible! That could not have been the tyrant!

From the place Narcissus ran! He had to warn Agamemnon! He had to!


	4. ACT IV

**ACT IV**

 _Scene I, the open road._

Narcissus ran in search of Agamemnon. He ran to find his friend to warn him. Alas, he had not gone unnoticed. Hippocoon had noticed him and so on a crossroads the two met.

 _Scene II, the palace of Maia._

Medea had gone in search of those whom they had not captured. So it was that that Rhadamanthys and Terpsichore got to know one another while Haemon and Danae continued to fight even an hour later.

Still as they talked, Maia could not help but watch from the shadows and remember when her husband lived. She knew what would come between these two. There would be love just as that had come between her and her husband.

Those days had been good days but alas they were not to last. Maia was not the kind for suicide but she could not wait for the day to come when she was once more with her husband in Elysium.

Till that day came she would never be happy for long. Although she was happy for Rhadamanthys and Terpsichore, the happiness would fade and once more she would be sad. She would be dead as she lived. Her heart had died just as it would have been had she been the one who had died instead of her husband.

 _Scene III, the forest lake._

Throwing a rock into the lake, Agamemnon looked around while Harmonia stood not far from him. There was something on his mind and she knew it.

"Something the matter?"

"I can't help but think how things would have been had Hades not usurped my father. I never would have seen this place and then I never would have met you."

"We've only just met." Said Harmonia.

"And yet Eros loosed his arrow upon me when I saw you." Stated Agamemnon. "I worship him not but yet he still did something for me."

"Whom do you worship?" asked Harmonia.

"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Cronus, Gaia, Uranus… Three of those are ones that others would not dare worship. One is a titan, another the earth itself and the other the sky."

"I too worship Demeter and Gaia." Said Harmonia. "I do not worship Eros either but yet I too felt his arrow loosed upon me. You are my heart and I am yours."


	5. ACT V

**ACT V**

 _Scene I, a lake in the forest._

Wounded and tired, Narcissus found Agamemnon and finally met Harmonia. Stumbling towards them, he fell to his knees out of exhaustion and placed his hands on the ground.

"Narcissus?" asked Agamemnon, his voice filled with alarm. "What happened to you?"

"Orcus is not Orcus." Replied Narcissus. "Orcus is Hades and he and Hippocoon intend to kill you though you need no longer worry about the latter."

"Where is Hades?" asked Agamemnon. "I would avenge my father's death and liberate my people!"

"Please, don't!" pleaded Harmonia. "He may kill you as well!"

"Do not worry about me, Harmonia." Assured Agamemnon, placing a hand upon his beloved's cheek. "With a crippled arm could he really kill me?"

"Yet still I worry for you." Said Harmonia.

"As do I!" added Narcissus. "He has a strong arm." If his crippled arm was his weakness then his uninjured arm was Hades' strength. Narcissus had a right to worry especially since Agamemnon was his friend. For Harmonia it was because she could lose her newfound beloved.

 _Scene II, upon the crossroads._

Agamemnon and Hades came to blows on the crossroads. Despite the crippled arm, Hades was strong and many times did it seem like Agamemnon's death had come but yet Hades was older and in many ways slower. He was also a bigger target and thus did Agamemnon's sword many times find Hades' body. So it was that Hades' bled to death, knowing that he had failed as a usurper. His line would never reign in Achaea.

Medea found Agamemnon, Harmonia and Narcissus at the crossroads. Brought to Maia, Agamemnon explained why he and Hades had fought and that he wanted to return to his kingdom. Maia allowed this and granted Harmonia to go with him for upon the latter being introduced to Haemon the two were identified as siblings and thus it would be best for Harmonia to return to the land of her birth. Rhadamanthys, his beloved and Haemon returned to Achaea as well and it was there that Agamemnon ruled for many years without an evil usurper to rise against him.

 **The End**


End file.
